


Lux In Tenebris

by arwens_light



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Backstory, How We Got Here, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-22 12:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8285462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arwens_light/pseuds/arwens_light
Summary: Astoria Greengrass had never been more excited for anything in her entire life. Today was the day she would leave for Hogwarts and begin a new journey.





	1. Le début

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything; JK Rowling invented this magically Harry Potter world and I'm just along for the ride.
> 
> I recently finished reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and thought it was absolutely lovely that Draco married someone like Astoria. I adored the idea of them together so I thought I'd explore how they ended up together to include years at Hogwarts, the second Wizarding War and beyond. I hope you enjoy :)

She didn't want to say good bye. She was bent slightly at the waist, hugging her eleven year-old son.

"Mum..." he muttered in embarrassment, although she smiled when he hugged her back just as tightly.

She stooped as much as she dared in her pencil skirt and kissed Scorpius on both cheeks. His cheeks were ruddy and pink, but his eyes swam with tears just as hers did. She ran a hand over his hair, smoothing it back in place before tenderly cupping his face between her thin hands.

"Be good. Enjoy your classes. Oh -" she pulled several gold-galleons from her coat pocket and slipped them into her son's hand. "For the trolley - _Sweets_ _, they always help you make friends_ ," she said, kissing her son's nose.

Her husband touched her shoulder gently and Astoria stood, carefully wiping away the tears so as not to spoil her makeup as she attempted to compose herself.

Draco patted Scorpius on the shoulder, seeming unsure in his actions. Astoria smiled sadly at her husband, knowing how uncomfortable he was with showing affection, even to their son. She slipped her arm through his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Draco glanced at her and offered a small smile in return. He turned back to their child and placed a hand atop his white-blonde hair, so similar to his father's.

"Go on then," Draco said, not unkindly. "We'll see you at Christmas."

"Write us often!" Astoria called, clutching her husband's arm as their only child made his way to the train through the sea of other witches and wizards.

Scorpius smiled and nodded, waving to his parents before climbing into the carriage.

Astoria tried to suppress a small sob. Draco leaned into her, brushing his lips against her temple. "Don't worry, darling, he'll be fine. He's a Malfoy, after all."

 

++ 24 years earlier ++

 

Astoria Greengrass had never been more excited for anything in her entire life. Today was the day she would leave for Hogwarts. Her elder sister, Daphne, had told her magnificent tales of ghosts and potions classes and quidditch matches. Her trunk had been packed the previous night until it was stuffed to overflowing with new school uniforms and robes, hair ribbons, textbooks, quills and cauldron. Beside Astoria, her cat, Alabaster, meowed softly and knock her hand with his head, demanded to be pet. She smiled as she stroked between his small gray ears. Although everything was terribly exciting, Astoria was also a small bit afraid and was glad that Alabaster would be accompanying her on this new adventure. 

She gazed out her third floor window out into the wet morning fog of London and wondered what mornings would be like inside a grand place like Hogwarts. The Greengrass home sat at the edge of Kensington W8 neighborhood - if Astoria climbed to the attic, she could see the tops of the trees in Hyde Park as well as the Muggle's Kensington Palace. She could see several Muggles now, across the street, trudging toward the nearest Underground station.

Finally, Dottie, their house elf, appeared, summoning her downstairs for breakfast. Astoria checked her reflection in the sliver-gilded looking glass. She was small for her age with large brown eyes and dark hair. She thought herself to be quite ordinary, especially compared to her sister. Astoria lifted her chin and look a deep breath before she straightened her hair bow and descended the large staircase carefully. Daphne was already in the dining room and looked quite bored as she pushed fruit around her plate with a silver spoon. Astoria helped herself to a soft boiled egg, toast and bacon. Astoria took her seat across from her older sister as she placed her napkin in her lap and crossed her ankles like she had been taught before digging into her food in the most lady-like manner possible. Dottie brought her a glass of pumpkin juice before disappearing into the kitchen.

Astoria chewed on a piece of toast, regarding her sister thoughtfully. "Daphne," she asked quietly, "What's the matter?"

Daphne glanced up at Astoria in surprise, as if she hadn't realized her sister had come downstairs for breakfast.

"What?"

Astoria frowned. "What's the matter, Daph?"

Her sister shook her head, pale blonde hair shaking in a shimmer of silver. "Nothing, darling, really. Eat your egg."

Astoria cast her sister a dubious stare before begrudgingly turning back to her breakfast.

Her parents entered the dining room shortly after. Their mother was dressed head-to-toe in a mauve dressing gown, the lace ruffles along the collar standing from her neck to her ears. Her salt-and-pepper hair was piled high upon her head in the most lavish manner. A large emerald hung around her neck, catching the light. Their father was dressed in a three-piece navy pinstriped suit with cream accents, the stiff lace on his collar matching their mother's. They kissed each girl atop the head before filling their own plates and sitting on opposite ends of the large dining table.

The Greengrass family ate in silence until Arcturus pushed his plate away and cleared his throat. The girls looked to their father as Hestia sipped on her coffee. "Daphne, Astoria, we must speak of something very serious before we head to the station," he began, running a hand through his pale blonde hair. "A prisoner from Azkaban has escaped. The Ministry is doing everything they can to track him down."

Astoria's eye grew wide. An escape from Azkaban? No one had ever escaped that dreadful place, guarded by those scary dementors...

Daphne leaned forward, studying their father carefully. "But...?"

"But it's been three weeks and they still haven't managed to catch him. I have heard rumor of what the prisoner is after and there is a chance he may make an appearance at Hogwarts. In truth, I have half a mind to send the two of you to the _Beauxbatons Academy_ for the year."

Astoria's eyes began to fill with tears as Daphne gasped. "WHAT? But Father, you can't!"

"Hush, child," Arcturus shushed his eldest daughter. "I spoke with Augustus Rookwood the other day and he assured me that the Ministry is taking every possible precaution and that Dumbledore has even agreed to allow the Azkaban guards to patrol the entrance of the school grounds. That has helped to put our minds at ease, at least for the time being."

The girls stared at their father.

"But... dementors...at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, dear," Hestia mused, taking another sip of coffee. "It's for your protection. Don't go near them and they won't bother you. Now hurry along, girls, we must leave soon if we are to arrive at the station on time."

When they arrived at Platform 9 3/4, the station was already bustling with parents and students. Arcturus and Hestia Greengrass walked the length of the platform with a superior air, their velvet and satin robes billowing behind them. Hestia straightened the large bow tied in Astoria's light brown hair, tutting as it kept shifting. After an excited and tearful goodbye with her parents, Daphne showed Astoria where to deposit their trunks and then lead her to one of the rear train compartments of the Hogwarts Express. Daphne found Tracey Davis, her best friend, in a car containing mostly students from the Slytherin house. Astoria sat on the cushioned bench opposite her sister and watched as Tracey and Daphne bend their heads together, whispering and giggling joyfully. Astoria rubbed Alabaster's ears as she watched the witches and wizards outside the window hurrying their children onto the train as a loud, sharp whistle sounded.

As the train finally began to move, a group of Slytherin boys passed in the corridor. A handsome boy with white-blonde hair stopped and leaned into the compartment.

"Greengrass, Davis -" he glanced at Astoria, his blue eyes giving her a once-over, "Smaller Greengrass," he said, nodding to her. Astoria felt her cheeks grow warm. "Seen Parkinson?" he asked.

Tracey shook her head. "No, I imagine she's in the back compartment with Millicent and Blaise."

He nodded in thanks before disappearing down the corridor with two other boys at his heels.

The next few hours passed quickly as Alabaster slept in Astoria's lap while she began to read _Hogwarts: A History_ by Bathilda Bagshot. Daphne and Tracey continued to gossip about classmates and classes and fall trips to Hogsmeade. The gray morning had melted into a dark, cloudy day and rain pattered against the glass of the carriage. Astoria found that she was quite cold and began to shiver. Daphne noticed and moved to sit next to her sister, throwing a warm arm around her thin shoulders.

"Is it always this cold?" Astoria asked, shivering in earnest.

Daphne shook her head as she stared out the window, frowning. "No, it's not..."

"Did you feel that?" Tracey asked. "I think we're stopping."

Tracey and Daphne shared a concerned glance. "I'll be right back," Tracey said, moving into the corridor with other confused students. Astoria could feel the lurch of the cars as the train stopped in the middle of the tracks.

Daphne hugged Astoria closer, rubbing her shoulder. Alabaster awoke, his fur standing on end. Astoria tried to console him, but he hissed and spit, green eyes darting wildly.

Suddenly, the lights in their compartment flickered and then were snuffed out. The Greengrass sisters froze, fear and cold creeping over them.

"Daph -" Astoria began, dread beginning to settle in her heart.

"Shhh-" Daphne murmured, continuing to rub Astoria's arm. "Everything is fine." Daphne pulled her wand out from beneath her robs. " _Lumos_." A soft yellow light erupted from the tip of Daphne's wand.

The light made Astoria feel a little better, but she stayed firmly tucked into her sister's side. Several horrible minutes passed before the cold began to withdraw and the lights came back on. Tracey returned to the compartment in a group of Slytherin students.

"Dementors came onto the train in one of the front carriages, but they were chased off," Tracey said, sitting down with a heavy sigh. "Dreadful creatures," she muttered.

A large boy with a very round face leaned into their compartment. "Did you hear? Dementors went into Potter's compartment and he actually _fainted_ – can you believe that?"

Several students in the corridor sneered. Tracey rolled her eyes at the boy. "Like you wouldn't have, Crabbe?"

"What did you say to me?"

Tracey rose to her feet, squaring off against the older boy. "You're a coward and you know it - I saw you last year when McGonagall caught you and Goyle sneaking cakes from the kitchen. If you shake in your boots under the gaze of that old woman, I can only imagine what you'd do if something really dangerous came after you."

His face turned sour as he glanced between the girls. "You better watch your mouth, Davis."

She raised an eyebrow, daring him to try something. "Or what?"

The boy's face grew deep red and he stepped into the compartment, hand raised. Astoria shrunk back in fear. This is not at all how she had imagined her first train ride to Hogwarts – riddled with dementors and fights.

A hand caught the boy's wrist. He turned, swinging. The boy who had been seeking out Pansy Parkinson earlier jumped backward, narrowly avoiding Crabbe's fist.

The blonde boy angrily pulled Crabbe out of the compartment and pushed him down the corridor. "We don't hit our women, Crabbe," he hissed venomously, pale-blonde hair falling into his eyes. "Don't let me catch you trying something like that again."

Crabbe muttered under his breath before marching down the dim hall. The other boy glanced at Tracey and nodded before following after Crabbe.

Tracey returned to her seat with a huff. She glanced at Astoria who was still curled into Daphne's side. Her face softened and she leaned forward, patting Astoria's knee. "Don't fret, love - some kids just need to be put in their place. Don't be afraid to stand up to the other students or they'll think they can push you around." She glanced up at Daphne who was regarding her friend with amusement. "What? I'm sick of listening to the tosser."

Daphne laughed and the chill in Astoria's bones finally faded away.

It was dark by the time the train pulled up to the platform. Daphne fastened Astoria's robes and straightened her hair bow before leading her off the train. She lead Astoria to a small group of frightened looking children. "Wait here with the other first-years. Hagrid will be along soon to take you to the castle." Daphne gave Astoria's hand a final squeeze before walking around Tracey. "Welcome to Hogwarts."


	2. Toujours pur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard Disclaimer; please refer to chapter one. 
> 
> Please enjoy this next installment as Astoria arrives at Hogwarts and discovers the magic within :)

Crossing the lake in the dark with the half-giant had been scary; they had even been able to see the dementors from a distance, floating many feet above the earth, hovering in the shadows like an omen of death. Astoria was very grateful when they finally arrived and were ushered inside the Hogwarts castle. Professor McGonagall, who she had heard Tracey Davis mention previously on the train, met the group of first-years inside.

"Come along, children," she called, waving them to follow her. "My, small class this year," she observed with a slight frown, counting as the children filed passed her.

The old witch led the children to a staircase and into the Great Hall. The older students were already gathered there, seated at four long tables running the length of the hall. Astoria found Daphne and gave a little wave, which her sister returned, grinned back at her. Astoria smiled and straightened her shoulder. There was no need to be afraid. Her sister was there and would help her through any challenges that lay ahead.

McGonagall lined the first years up at the front of the hall; before them sat on old ratty hat atop a stool. Astoria's tummy turned. Oh yes, the sorting... She crossed her fingers and wished upon wishes that she was sorted into the house which her family had been privileged for so many years...

Professor McGonagall began to call out the names of the students, who stepped forward and were sorted into their respective houses after a few moments of deliberation by the old Sorting Hat.

Michael Alton - _HUFFLEPUFF_!

 

Nadia Abdul - _RAVENCLAW_!

 

Alyson Belby - _RAVENCLAW_!

 

Martyn Buchanan - _HUFFLEPUFF_!

 

Fiona Denbright - _GRYFFINDOR_!

 

Jayne Edgecombe - _SLYTHERIN_!

 

Charlene Graves - _HUFFLEPUFF_!

 

“Astoria Greengrass.”

Astoria stepped forward timidly before remembering herself and squaring her shoulders. She could do this. She was the daughter of a long line of pureblood witches and wizards. Her family was named among the Sacred Twenty-Eight after all...

The weathered old hat hovered above her head for a moment before declaring her for house ... " _SLYTHERIN_!"

Joy filled her trembling heart. She leapt from the stool and ran to the Slytherin table, who cheered and welcomed her with open arms. She smiled brightly, seeking out her sister's face. When she finally found it, Daphne's face was beaming with pride.

As for the rest of the students in her year, Andrew Limus, Gareth Westenberg, Damien O'Brien, Jacqueline Mina and Elena Selwyn were sorted into Gryffindor, Nigel Renshaw, Gemma Peaks, Jayne Tremlett, and Nancy Tandel into Hufflepuff, Iain Killick, Shaun Kettleburn, Lyle Pyrites, Louise Rabnott, Nicola Sayre, and Georgina Mulciber into Ravenclaw, and Naomi Ross, Gillian Ogden, Asbolus Hobday and Oliver Urquart joined her in Slytherin.

Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore stood as the last of the first years took their seats. He welcomed them back to Hogwarts and then solemnly addressed the dementors on school grounds. He warned the students to steer clear of the Azkaban guards and not to leave the school grounds without permission.

Astoria exchanged a worried glance with her new housemates Gillian Ogden and Jayne Edgecombe.

The silver-haired wizard's expression lightened considerably. "Oh a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."

Astoria strained her neck to see who the Headmaster was referring to, but as she wasn't familiar with any of the professors, it was hard to pick out who was new, save for Rubeus Hagrid who had escorted the first years across the Black Lake. It was hard to miss a half-giant.

Upon conclusion of the Headmaster's speech, the Start of Term Feast began. Astoria had never seen so much food at one time - and she had been to a Michaelmas party at Minister Fudge's house. She helped herself to roast chicken and kidney pie, boiled potatoes, peas and Yorkshire pudding. Despite her full stomach, she tucked away a treacle tart for later.

As Dumbledore dismissed the students to bed, the Heads of each house instructed their students to follow after them. Severus Snape appeared at the end of their table, looming over the first years. His dark eyes swept over them, black hair falling into his eyes. He straightened, smoothing his dark hair back against his temple. "Slytherins," he greeted tersely. "Follow me."

The first years followed their new Head of House as the other students hurried down the stairs toward the dungeons. Their little group passed by the office belonging to the Squib Flitch as they descended further into the castle. Finally, they came to a long, dark corridor where Snape paused.

He pointed to a large column. "The entrance to the great House of Slytherin is behind this stone wall. It requires a password for entry.  The password for the start of term is _Toujours pur_. Take great care to remember; the password will change every fortnight. It will be posted on the noticeboard - forget this and you will be at the mercy of your own ignorance until the next student arrives to save you."

The professor turned to the wall with a flourish of his robes. " _Toujours pur_ ," he commanded. The stones in the wall shifted and slid to reveal the entrance to the Slytherin common room. The first years entered the common room eagerly, looking this way and that so as not to miss a single thing. Green light filled the corridor and opened into a large room filled with cushioned armchairs and a grand fireplace. One wall seemed to shift and move until upon closer inspection it was revealed to be a view through thick glass into the depths of the Black Lake. Students milled around the room or headed into the dormitories. Snape stopped the first years at the bottom of the spiral staircases leading up to the rooms.

"Girls dormitories are to the right, boys to the left. Students in the same years are roomed together - Jayne Edgecombe, Astoria Greengrass, Naomi Ross, Gillian Ogden, you four are assigned together; Asbolus Hobday and Oliver Urquart, you two shall be roomed together. Now, off to bed with the lot of you - breakfast begins at 7:30 and you must be at your first class by 9 o'clock sharp. First years shall report to Professor McGonagall for Transfiguration. You will find her classroom on the third floor. Now off with you."

The children scrambled up the stairs, exclaiming excitedly as they entered their new rooms. The girls' rooms were furnished with individual beds with ornately carved posts painted in glossy black and green velvet curtains for privacy. Each girl's trunks had been placed at the end of a bed. The girls went to their respective beds, giggling with glee. Astoria's bed was positioned furthest from the door, next to a large wardrobe that was to be shared between her and Jayne Edgecombe. Naomi Ross and Gillian Ogden were across the room, the small potbelly stove between them.

Astoria unpacked her trunk, neatly hanging and folding her clothes into her side of the wardrobe. She lined her textbooks upon her bedside table and stored her quills, ink wells, and spare parchment within the drawers along with her saved treacle tart. After all was in order, she changed into her nightgown and slipped beneath the green silk sheets of her new bed. She shivered slightly as she snuggled deeper within the blankets and soon drifted off to sleep, dreaming of what new experiences lay before her.

 

+++

 

After a breakfast of pumpkin juice and boiled egg, Astoria headed off to her first Hogwarts class. Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be seen as the students filed into her classroom; an orange tabby cat sat upon her desk, yellow eyes watching the students as its tail flicked to and fro. Astoria took her seat next to Jayne and opened her book, _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch. She had already read the first chapter and was eager to learn the art. The students around her joked and laughed; Astoria worried what the professor might say if she was to find the class in this manner of disarray.

The students were beginning to get quite loud when the tabby cat jumped off of the professor's desk and ... transformed into Professor McGonagall herself. The silence which fell over the class was almost deafening.

Astoria noticed the Professor's lips twitch to a small smile momentarily. "Well, now that I have your attention," McGonagall announced, turning to the blackboard, "let us begin our lesson."

McGonagall's lesson had been quite fascinating. Astoria was excited for the upcoming term and eagerly proceeded to her charms class.

Charms was very similar to the study of transfiguration, except that charms simply adds properties to an object while transfiguration alters the object all together. Professor Flitwick was very insistent that they take great care in their pronunciation of any enchantment, muttering something about a student in a previous year starting fires every other class. For their very first lesson, they learned a simple levitation spell - _Wingardium Leviosa_ \- and even got the chance to practice it. Astoria was delighted when it only took her three times to get it right.

She spent the lunch break reading from her _Magical Theory_ book. Jayne had to rouse her from her seat so that she did not miss Potions.

Potions was instructed by the Head of her House, Professor Snape. While Astoria certainly found the class instructional, she was not quite as enthralled with the topic has she had been with her first two classes.

Her final class of the afternoon was with Professor Binns. It was rather startling to have a ghost for a professor. She had been quite excited for History of Magic, but more than once, found herself nodding off at the droning of Professor Binns' dull and monotone voice. After the conclusion of the first days' classes, Astoria found herself back in the Slytherin common room with her roommates. Jayne, Astoria and Gillian were busy with the next day's transfiguration homework while Naomi giggled with Asbolus on a leather sofa.

Daphne and Tracey sat in an alcove, heads bent together as they worked on an essay for one of their third year classes. There were murmurs around the common room that Draco Malfoy had been attacked by a hippogriff during their Care of Magical Creatures class - Crabbe and Goyle confirmed that he was still in the hospital wing being attended by Madame Pomfrey.

The next day, the Slytherin first years had Charms and Potions in the morning followed by Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin and Herbology with Professor Sprout. Astoria didn't really care for Defense Against the Dark Arts - Professor Lupin seemed quite strange and didn't dress like a professor at all - in fact, he seemed rather haggard and shabby, especially to the daughter of two of the most highly regarded fashion designers within the greater witching and wizarding area of Europe. She greatly like Professor Sprout though, even if she did require her students to get their hands dirty in Herbology. Astoria had been paired with a student of a different house - Gemma Peaks of Hufflepuff, who was very friendly.

Gemma, who Astoria found out was a half-blood through her Muggle mother, chatted excitedly as they sat at their workbench, carefully separating aconite petals from the stem. Astoria listened in fascination as Gemma told a story of her Muggle grandparents taking her to the theatre last Christmas to see _The Nutcracker_ (whatever that was) and how confused they had been when it kept snowing inside the theatre (due to Gemma's inability to control her magical abilities when she was ten). Astoria tentatively asked Gemma what _The Nutcracker_ was and the young Hufflepuff was more than happy to oblige.

That night, Astoria fell asleep with Alabaster curled into her side, dreaming of charms and positions and sugar plum fairies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, I intend to skip forward and touch on moment which were significant in shaping Astoria; after all, she left a lasting impact on Scorpius and not to mention, Draco Malfoy. I hope you enjoy! I would love to hear your thoughts!


	3. La Cité de la Lumière

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Standard Disclaimer; please refer to chapter one. 
> 
> Astoria spends two very different holidays in Paris.

++ Year 1++

As fall faded into winter, Astoria began to feel ill. The winter was an awfully cold one, especially with dementors lurking about. During weekly flying lessons, she scarce had the strength to hold onto the broom stick. Had it not been for Nicola Sayre's quick and helping hand, Astoria surely would have fallen off the broom altogether on more than one occasion. The Slytherin dungeons were quite cold and the snow piling up outside didn't help. Astoria found her breath coming out in little bursts of frosty mist in the mornings as she quickly changed into her robes, shivering all the while. She surmised it was probably just the cold coupled with stress due to end of term examinations. Daphne, however, became concerned and prompted her to visit Madame Pomfrey. Reluctantly, Astoria allowed her older sister to escort her to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was very kind and offered her a lemon drop after she had conducted a medical exam. The witch concluded that Astoria was likely feeling ill due to stress, although she acknowledged that Astoria did have a slight fever and if it got worse, instructed her to report back to the hospital wing at once. Daphne worried over her little sister for the rest of the fortnight and forced Astoria to drink lots of hot tea, wear her thickest wool socks and go to bed a full hour before the other girls. Her sister made sure that the little pot-bellied stove in the center of their dormitory was stocked high and burning brightly when she saw Astoria off to bed. Jayne was kind enough to accompany Astoria, and would read to her from their History of Magic textbook until they both fell asleep.

When the Christmas Break finally arrived, Astoria was exceedingly grateful as she had begun to feel more ill and was having a hard time keeping it from Daphne. The Greengrass sisters took the Hogwarts Express home to London where they were greeted by their grandmother, Vivienne Greengrass. They were to spend several days in London with their grandmother before joining their parents in Paris. Although Daphne and Astoria adored their paternal grandmother, she was a bit inattentive and would spend hours in their parent's sitting room, drinking whiskey and playing cards with a handful of her friends. Astoria had thought she would feel happy to be home, but found herself missing her friends and the ancient, odd smells of the castle. Daphne took her to the Newton Tea Room a few times where they drank tea and ate rich tarts and little cakes until they couldn't possibly eat another bite. Astoria blamed her shortness of breath on her stomach filled with sweets and tea. Grandmamma Vivienne could never quite make out why they hardly touched their supper on those days.

A few days before Christmas, Grandmamma Vivienne took the girls to the train station and put them on the Eurostar directly from London to Paris. Although it was a Muggle 'bullet' train, it was the fastest way for the girls to get from London to Paris by themselves without magic- Greengrasses did _not_ travel by the Floo Network unless absolutely necessary. Absolutely filthy way to travel, their father always said. Their parents met them at the _Gare du Nord_  station along with hundreds of others who had decided to visit Paris for the holidays. The Greengrasses had taken their girls to Paris before for _Semaine Sorcière Fashion_ , but never during the winter holidays. Astoria was fascinated by all of the grandeur and splendor of the French _sorcier and sorcière_ , and even by the Muggles who called themselves _Parisan_. The hotel the Greengrasses were residing in was behind the Muggle _Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg_ **.** The entrance to the wizarding hotel, _Lune et Hôtel de Soleil_ , was positioned behind a magnificent fountain at the back of the lobby. Similar to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station, wizards and witches could access the hotel by stepping through the wall behind the crystal fountain. 

The lobby of _Lune et Hotel de Soleil_ was splendidly decorated. The ceiling had been enchanted so that it appeared gold and silver snow was softly falling from the sky. Marble pillars were frosted in icy blue vines of glass wrapped around and climbing toward the ceiling.  Astoria though that perhaps it was the most beautiful hotel in the world.

For Christmas, both she and Daphne received new clothes, shoes, and accessories all in the latest trends. Even so, Astoria insisted on wearing her emerald hair bow, despite her mother's disapproval. After spending Christmas in Paris, their parents took Astoria and Daphne into the country, where their extended family lived. The Gingras' possessed a large estate in the south of France, just outside a small village close to the Pyrenees Mountains.

Their cousin, Evangeline Gingras, who attended the _Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons,_ went on for hours about how the _Académie_ was preparing for the Triwizard Tournament that was to be held next year. Astoria listened in fascination as Evangeline told of how the older students were practicing in duels and advanced spells in preparation. Astoria didn't know of anyone at Hogwarts preparing for the Triwizard Tournament; most of the focus this year had been on the dementors roaming the school grounds and the escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who was rumored to be after Harry Potter's blood.

One afternoon, a few days before they were due back in London, Astoria sat in Evangeline's cushioned reading nook, wrapped up cozily in a bundle of warm blankets and furs as her cousin allowed Daphne to try on her _Beauxbatons_ robes _._ Evangeline was in the _Ombrelune_ house at the _Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons,_ as her mother, father, and aunts had been. Astoria thought the house's attributes seemed quite similar to Slytherin's, although the colors resembled something more like Ravenclaw. Daphne wondered at the silky fabric of Evangeline's icy-blue and gray robes, twirling to make the skirt rise in a shimmering dance around her knees.

Evangeline was very excited about visiting Hogwarts next year for the Triwizard Tournament, but more importantly for the Yule Ball. Astoria watched in equal parts amusement and awe as Evangeline elegantly paraded around her bedroom in what she called a _Bourrée._ Daphne laughed at Evangeline and informed her with a snort that the traditional school dance at Hogwarts was a waltz, not a stupid  _Bourrée_

Evangeline glared at Daphne _._ "The _Bourrée_ is _not_ stupid! But you wouldn’t know that, would you? At least I don’t attend a second-rate school."

"Hogwarts is NOT a second-rate school, you three-eyed toad!"

Their cousin gasped, her eyes flashing with anger. " _La pute_!"

At that point, things turned ugly between the two cousins and Evangeline's mother finally had to pull the two girls apart. Daphne took Astoria by the hand and marched out of Evangeline's room.

"She thinks she's so much better than us," Daphne huffed in an angry babble. Astoria bumped into Daphne as her sister stopped short in her tracks. She bent to look Astoria in the eye, her expression somber. "Don't ever let anyone make you feel like you are less than they are. People say all sorts of mean, awful things, but that doesn't make them true - and even if they are, you don’t have to keep it that way. You can always make the world a different, better place. Please remember that."

Astoria nodded, wide-eyed. "Okay," she breathed, barely a whisper.

Daphne kissed her little sister’s forehead and pulled her into a tight hug. "Come on," she muttered, turning toward the stairs, "let's go steal from chocolates from the kitchen."

 

++Year 7++

 

Astoria had not been to Paris in a very long time. The Second Wizard War had put a stop to traveling for pleasure for a long while; two years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Astoria still felt herself looking over her shoulder and into dark corners.

She sat by herself at the bar adjacent to _Lune et Hôtel de Soleil_ and sipped on her sparkling water, watching the glamorous _sorcier and sorcière_ as they shopped for holiday presents. Her parents were attending a conference given by the renowned _part-Vela sorcière_ and Parisian fashion designer, Madeleine Vionnet. They had left Astoria at the hotel to her own devices.

She could hear the Muggle Christmas music softly playing in the background amid the hustle and bustle of the afternoon. She missed Daphne, but her sister had left home shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts and hadn't returned since. Astoria would occasionally receive a letter via Muggle post, the postage marking some strange new place or continent. Daphne had written Astoria that it was just too hard to be in London, ever since Tracy had passed.

The bartender slid a foaming cup of hot chocolate in front of her, startling her out of her thoughts. She blinked down at the steaming beverage and then raised her gaze to the bartender, confused. Before she could question the gesture, the Frenchman nodded to his left.

" _C'est du gentilhomme dans le coin_."

Astoria turned, seeking out who he could possibly be referring to.

A man sat in a corner booth, a glass of wine on the table before him and a cigarette dangling from his long, slender fingers. His suit was made of fine material and nicely tailor; his hair was silvery-blonde. He put out his cigarette in a crystal ashtray, slid gracefully from the bench seat and upon collecting his glass of wine, approached her. She realized as he stood, that he was quite tall...

And she found that she gazed up into the gray eyes of Draco Malfoy. A smirk tugged on his lips as he stood next to the stool beside her. "Hello, smaller Greengrass. Imagine bumping into you here, in Paris of all places. Mind if I take this seat?"

"M-My parents - they're here for work," she stammered, gazing up at him, somewhat befuddled that he was talking to her.

He stared at her for a moment, eyebrow raised in question.

Her cheeks burned ferociously as she scrambled to collect her thoughts. "Oh, yes, please do sit," she mumbled, embarrassed.

Draco settled into the stool beside her, his scarf and coat draped across the back. His long fingers fiddled with the bottom of his wine glass, the dark red liquid swirling inside the crystal. "So, parents in Paris for work and they dragged you along? Didn't want to stay in London for the holiday?"

She slipped her chilled hands around the hot ceramic mug in front of her. She shook her head slowly. "Well, Grandmamma has passed and Daphne isn't home at the moment. So... I asked if I could tag along."

Draco's expression became quite serious. After a moment, his eyes dropped to his glass before nodding.

Astoria tentatively raised the mug to her lips and took a sip. The taste of rich chocolate and sweet spices filled her mouth. She hummed in delight before taking another sip, licking the foam from her lips.

Draco's expression melted into a genuine smile. "Do you like it? I think it just might be my favorite drink here at the _Lune et Hôtel de Soleil"_

"It's delicious," she whispered, taking another sip. She smiled at him, the warmth of the drink sinking through her chest and into her bones. "So, Draco Malfoy," she said, trying to appear casual, "What brings you to Paris?"

His smile faded and he was silence for a long while. Finally, he answered in a low voice. "Same as you. Didn't want to be alone on the holidays. My mother wanted to come to Paris, do some shopping. So I tagged along."

"And your father?" she asked hesitantly.

Draco's face briefly twisted into something ugly before he composed himself. "He decided to stay behind. I think he prefers the security of home over the unknown dangers of the outside world."

"O-oh." Astoria caught herself shivering and quickly raised the warm drink to her lips.

The two made small talk, reminiscing about school and the like, avoiding topics that were too sensitive for a casual afternoon conversation. Eventually, a woman with black and silver streaked hair paused at the entrance to the hotel bar, dark eyes sweeping the small space until she paused on Draco.

Draco nodded to the woman and rose from his stool. "That would be my mother," he explained, adjusting his vest. He tipped back his glass, draining the remainder of the dark liquid. Astoria had to divert her gaze to avoid staring at the long, pale, exposed skin of his throat. Draco placed a coin on the bar next to his empty glass and stepped back, collecting his coat and scarf.

He lightly tapped Astoria's wrist in a friendly manner. "Well, Greengrass, thanks for the company. I'll... see you around," he ended, almost uncertainly.

"Thank you for the drink, Malfoy.”

Draco hesitated for a moment, before his mother beckoned him again. He nodded in farewell and turned to join his mother.

Astoria watched him go. His thin, slender frame weaved effortlessly through the café’s tightly packed tables patrons. He ran his fingers over an errant strand of hair as he walked, smoothing it back into place. When he finally reached his mother, she turned sharply on her heels and disappeared behind the large crystal fountain. Draco swiftly followed after her.

She marveled at the interaction that she had just had with her sister’s classmate, a known former Death Eater. He seemed different from the boy she remembered at Hogwarts. Changed somehow. She supposed the War had changed everyone, truthfully. She knew from whispers between her parents that the Malfoys had been extraordinarily affected by their ties – former ties that is - to the Dark Lord. Astoria wondered what life must be like for Draco Malfoy now. She wondered if she might ever see him again.

She sipped the marvelous hot chocolate and wondered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do plan on hopping back and forth between the past and future in order to explore Astoria's life a little more in-depth. I hope you enjoy because I enjoyed writing it!


	4. Les os de Danse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently I'm taking the GRRM approach to this fic, but it has a strong hold on my heart so I'm pressing forward! I hope you enjoy!!

++ Year 2 ++

 

Evangeline had been right about the Triwizard Tournament. Headmaster Dumbledore had announced it during his opening address to the students. As a condition to reviving the tournament, which had been decommissioned centuries before due to the number of deaths and severe injuries to champions, judges and spectators alike, an age restriction had been placed on the contestants. Only those at least 17 years of age and in their final year at their respective schools were allowed to compete. There were mumbles to dissent among the Hogwarts students in their fifth and sixth years, but Astoria thought it was a reasonable restriction. These tournaments were highly dangerous and students in their last year of school were far more likely to possess the necessary skills to conqueror the various tasks.

 

Astoria left the Great Hall that first night very full and tired, but excited for the upcoming year. She was no longer a first-year and was elated to see what she would learn in her second year. Thankfully, there would be no more flying lessons with Madame Hooch.

 

The Slytherin common room password for the start of term was _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper._

That night, Astoria and her roommates, Jayne, Naomi, and Gillian sat around their small pot-belly stove, warming their toes next to the fire as they imagined what the tournament would be like, especially what the boys from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang might be like. Naomi imagined that they would be much better than the silly boys from Hogwarts.

 

Astoria was very excited to return to her Charms and Transfiguration classes. Next year, when she was a third year, she would finally be able to choose more elective courses. She had heard that Professor Trewlawny was a bit of a nut, but was interested in what the study of Divination might be like and how it different from a subject like Arithmancy. Tracey Davis had taken Arithmancy last year and Astoria remembered Tracey complaining about a Muggle-born girl from Gryffindor being an absolutely know-it-all.

 

The first two months of school past quickly. Astoria spent much of her time studying with Gemma Peaks, Nicola Sayre, and Jayne in the library or, if the weather was nice, on a corner bench in the court yard, next to a small, gnarled tree.

 

From time-to-time, Astoria felt a bit ill, but she excused it as having exerted herself too much.  After all, she usually felt much better after going to bed early and having a nice, long night's rest. One night in mid-October, when she was feeling particularly ill, she had to make Jayne swear not to tell Daphne. Jayne had agreed reluctantly.  

 

The buzz of excitement at Hogwarts was almost palpable as Halloween grew closer. Astoria adored the smell of sweet spices rising from the kitchen against the cool, crisp autumn air.

 

The delegations from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang arrived on All Hallow's Eve, making their respective entrances in true splendor. The Parisian Headmistress, Madam Maxime was... quite a lady of stature. She watched with great interest as the boys and girls from the French Wizarding School waltzed into the Great Hall and took their seats at the extra tables that had been added at the end of each of Hogwart's Houses.

 

Naomi pinched her arm as the students from Durmstrang entered behind Beauxbaton. Jayne and Astoria stared at the tall, dark-haired boys that marched down the aisle. The girls looked just as intimidating, most scowling with furrowed brows, shoulders wrapped in thick furs, which greatly contrasted Beauxbaton's thin, flowing uniforms. After the visiting students had all been seated, Headmaster Dumbledore stood before the assembly and made a series of announcements addressing the upcoming tournament and unveiled a large silver goblet. Students would have until the following evening to enter their name in the cup for a chance of being selected as their respective school's champion. The old wizard warned that due to the age restrictions, he would be drawing an Age Line around the goblet to prevent any under-age students from submitting their names. 

 

As they left the Great Hall, Astoria overheard many of the older Slytherin students speaking in excited voices about how they were going to enter their name into the Goblet of Fire. Astoria noticed that Gemma Peaks lingered by the large doors. She paused and made her way over to the Hufflepuff, who nervously held something in her hands. Upon further inspection, Astoria saw that Gemma held a bag over flowing with candy and chocolates.

 

"What are you doing?" Astoria whispered, tugging at Gemma's robe. The Muggle-born witch's eyes sparkled. "Sweets make friends," she said with such confidence, Astoria believed it had to be true.

 

As the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students began to file out of the Great Hall, Gemma flitted side to side, offering sweets to the visiting students. Astoria smiled as a few of the Beauxbaton girls accepted Peppermint Toads. Before she knew it, Gemma was skipped back to her side and squeezed her wrist.

 

"See?" she beamed, eyes bright, "I told you!"

 

Astoria grinned and nodded. "You'll be friends with everyone if you keep giving out chocolates," she teased, but Gemma just shrugged.

 

"Why not? I'd like to have friends all over the world!"

 

Astoria like Gemma's view of the world and went to bed that night, imagining a world full of happy, friendly witches and wizards.

 

The next evening, when Harry Potter's name was unexpectantly called as a fourth champion in the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts could not have been a more unfriendly place.

 

 

Hogwart's true champion was Cedric Diggory, a seventh-year Hufflepuff boy. No one was certain how the Potter boy had slipped his name into the Goblet of Fire; after all, several fifth and sixth year students had attempted to cross the Age Line, only to be sent to the hospital wing for Madame Pompfey to painstakingly attempt to remove the aging jinx that had cursed them.

 

Many of players on the Slytherin Quidditch team were quite upset with Harry Potter's apparent grab for more power and fame. Several of the older students collected champion support badges and began to bewitch them into reading  _'Potter Stinks'_.

 

Cedric was the true Hogwarts champion, so Astoria did not feel badly at all about wearing the badge.

 

++ Summer After Year 7 ++

 

Astoria was so exhausted that she walked through Diagon Alley without paying much attention. She was accompanying her mother to Gringotts Bank after she had returned to London from her graduation of Hogwarts. She had studied feverishly for her N.E.W.T. examinations and although she had only sat for two - Charms and Transfiguration - she had passed with high marks. Her fifth year at Hogwarts had been interrupted by the Second Wizarding War and so she hadn't taken her O.W.L.s until her sixth year. The delay and disruption of her studies had set her back a bit, but she wasn't pursuing a career at the Ministry, so she really didn't think it mattered.

 

If she was being honest with herself, her exhaustion wasn't just the studying and stress of examinations. If Daphne knew, she would have forced Astoria into a bed at Saint Mungo's right away. Good thing Daphne wasn't here and Hestia Greengrass was mostly aloof to her daughter's current condition.

 

It was when she stumbled and the cobble-stone street rushed up to meet her that she knew she should have said something.

 

Astoria woke some days later, blinking blurrily into the bright lights. She thought she heard a bell chime. After a few moments, she finally regained her vision. She was in a hospital bed and Daphne was curled up in an armchair next to her bed.

 

A few moments later, a young Healer entered the room, followed by an even younger Assistant Healer who carried a large stack of parchments, quill chasing after her.

 

"Good afternoon, Ms. Greengrass. How are you feeling today?"

 

"Alright," Astoria croaked, her throat dry. Daphne stirred in her chair and slowly sat up, eyeing the Healer warily.

 

"I understand from your records that you are aware of your current condition and that you were previously admitted?"

 

She nodded, her dark hair laying limply on her thin shoulder.

 

The young Healer made a noise of disapproval. "Ms. Greengrass, the blood curse that has manifested in you is quite powerful. If you are not more careful, you may put yourself in quite a lot of risk. I must insist that you stay on bed-rest here for several more days and when you are released, you must refrain from engaging in exhaustive activities."

 

Daphne's hand slid into Astoria's and squeezed, comforting, assuming her that she was not in this alone.

 

"Ms. Greengrass -" Astoria looked up into the Healer's dark eyes. "I mean it, you must rest and avoid anything that could be strenuous."

 

Reluctantly, Astoria nodded. But she would break her promise within a fortnight.

 

++ Winter Year 2++

 

Only fourth-year students or older were allowed to attend the Yule Ball, which many of the younger students found quite unfair. Naomi complained loudly to Professor Snape one evening after dinner, to which he simply stared down at her with a mild expression of disgust.

 

Astoria found herself day-dreaming while Daphne and Tracey dressed for the Ball. She wondered what it would be like to dance into the late hours of the night in another's arms. Tracey helped Daphne curl her pale blonde hair, setting it just so with a set of emerald pins as Astoria watched from her sister's bed.

 

Tracey was accompanying Blaise Zabini to the Ball; a fifth-year, Terence Higgs, had asked Daphne. Tracey wore a dress of sleek, sparkling silver, which dazzled against her dark skin. Daphne was draped in emerald satin, with skirts that ruffled about her knees. Astoria thought they both looked beautiful enough to be princesses. Daphne called her little sister over and Astoria helped them to color their lips and line their eyes with cosmetics from Ambrosia Parsley.

 

When the time came for the girls to meet their partners, Astoria stared longingly after her sister, wishing she had a pretty green dress of her own. 

 

++ Summer After Year 7 ++

 

She hadn't seen Draco Malfoy since that December afternoon in Paris and was quite surprised to bump into him while she and Daphne were leaving Diagon Alley after an early day of shopping at Twilfitt and Tattings.

 

He was walking down the sidewalk, just outside of the Leaky Cauldron when Daphne and Astoria were exiting the establishment. He was dressed in all black and had the collar of his coat pulled up around his ears, despite it being a very pleasant, summer day.

 

Draco stopped to let them pass and then paused, his eyes resting on Astoria. Daphne spoke first, recognizing her classmate.

 

"Malfoy," she greeted, not unfriendly, but reserved all the same.

 

Astoria smiled shyly at the young man across from her.

 

Draco nodded to Daphne and returned the greeting. "Greengrass," he drawled before glancing at Astoria again. "Smaller Greengrass."

 

She wrinkled her nose slightly. She wished he wouldn't call her that.

 

He paused, examining her face before turning back to Daphne. "I trust your parents are well?" he asked, hands casually clasped behind his back.

 

Daphne nodded, "Yes, and yours?" There was much left unsaid, but their stressed tones spoke volumes.

 

"Well enough," Draco confirmed. There was an awkward pause before Draco's gray eyes returned to Astoria. "Might - might I have a word with your sister?"

 

Daphne blinked in surprise. "My sis - Astoria?"

 

Draco nodded in affirmation and waited, expectantly.

 

Daphne glanced at her little sister, confusion playing on her features. Astoria realized that she had never told her sister about seeing Malfoy in Paris. "I-" Daphne looked at Astoria, trying to read her expression. Astoria smiled softly and simply shrugged in response. Daphne turned back to Draco, eyeing him for a moment. "Alright," she finally relented. She squeezed Astoria's hand, eyes searching her face one last time. "You know how to summon me if you need me," she reminded her before Daphne kissed Astoria's cheek and walked down the street toward Kensington Park.

 

Astoria finally returned her attentions to Draco Malfoy. "I hope the rest of your holiday went well," she said politely.

 

"Well enough," he repeated, squinting down at her. He looked nervous, which seemed strange to Astoria. She had remembered him being overly confident at Hogwarts. "I-I'm glad to have run into you, I've been wanting to call on you but..." he cleared his throat uncomfortably, "some families are not as receptive to Malfoys as they once were."

 

"Oh," Astoria breathed. In the past, her parents had made comments about the Malfoy family, especially in the past few years. Although Astoria knew her parents had never been _Deatheaters_ , she was acutely aware of her parents' pure-blood, pro-Dark Lord support ... at least initially. After the Dark Lord's reappearance, things had quickly gotten beyond what Arcturus and Hestia were comfortable with publically supporting. They did not like to speak about the past and had taken steps to remove themselves from their dark connections, going as far as spending more and more time abroad. "My parents - they don't really mention that type of thing, not around Daphne and me, They've been so busy getting ready of the next season's _Semaine Sorcière Fashion_ that they've been in Paris more than London recently." She paused before asking softly, "How is your mother?"

 

Draco frowned and fumbled in his pocket before pulling out a small, white package. He pulled a cigarette from the paper package with his teeth and inconspicuously lit the tip with magic. She did find it amusing that he had picked up this Muggle habit. He drew a long breath before releasing a curling blue stream of smoke into the air. "She's been better," he answered with honesty she hadn't been fully expecting. "My father rarely leaves the house anymore and well... it's been difficult... since..."

 

"Since the War?" she offered.

 

Draco's gaze seemed to be set at a distance point beyond her. He didn't answer for a long while. Finally, his eyes returned to her. "I was hoping that you might be free to get a cup of tea?"

 

Astoria fought to keep the smile from consuming her features. Her mouth twitched, betraying her as she nodded. "Yes, that would be lovely."

 

She returned to Diagon Alley with Draco Malfoy, who lead her to the Rosa Lee Teabag Shop and Café. The shop was small and quiet, with only a few customers sitting near the shop windows. Draco opted for a table in the back corner, with a clear view of the front door. Astoria found that curious, but didn't say anything.

 

Draco requested the tea service when a middle-aged witch asked for their order. They were given a silver tea pot, bubbling hot, with a matching set of floral, chipped tea cups. The witch brought a three tiered stand to the table which was overflowing with delicious looking morsels - there were miniature butterbeer cakes, bit-sized chocolate cauldron cakes, cockroach clusters and chocolate frogs, rock cakes, and pumpkin pasties.

 

Draco poured her tea which smelled of pineapple and mint while Astoria attempted to choose what to try first from the tower of food. She finally decided upon a divine treacle tart which tasted of brown butter, rosemary and lemon. She sighed happily as she chewed, thinking back to Gemma's _sweets make friends_ saying - it definitely had merit.

 

His gray eyes appraised her as she sipped at her tea.

 

"In Paris," he said, breaking the comfortable silence they had fallen into. "At Christmas - you never asked."

 

She frowned at him, swallowing the bit of tart in her mouth. "Asked you about what?"

 

His stare was almost harsh and something dark made her want to shiver, but she remained frozen, staring back into Draco's eyes.

 

Finally, he blinked and looked away. "About it. All of it." He rubbed at his left arm and she began to understand.

 

"It's none of my business," she replied carefully, taking another sip of tea. "It's in your past. If you wanted to talk about it, I figured you would. But I'm not going to press the matter. Besides," she commented, tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear, "I wouldn't want to impose; we don't know each other all that well, Draco Malfoy," she teased.

 

He shifted, leaning forward, studying her. For several heavy seconds, he simply stared at her. "I think I'd like to get to know you better," he stated, his voice low.

 

Astoria felt herself blush.

 

"I'd like to take you out sometime, if... if you'd be interested," he ventured, the usual confidence in his voice dropping slightly.

 

She heard herself say yes almost immediately and scolded herself for sounding like an eager school girl. She had just graduated from Hogwarts - she was a young, sophisticated woman, she reminded herself. She needed to act like one.

 

He smiled, genuine and dazzling. Astoria felt her heart skip a beat.

 

Draco called at her parent's house on the following Sunday at half past eight to take her out for drinks. He was dressed in all black again, save for his silver tie pin. Astoria was wearing one of Daphne's dresses, a knee-length emerald and black dress with intricate silver beading on the bodice and along the collar and sleeves. He offered her his arm and she took it shyly, allowing him to walk her down the stairs and into the warm London evening. They walked, Draco leading Astoria at a moderate pace as they made casual conversation about London and the weather. She tried to hide the fact that she was becoming short of breath the further they walked. Astoria was surprised when Draco stopped in front of a Muggle dance club in South Clerkenwell, but instead of leading her inside, he disappeared into the side-alley. Astoria hesitated for a moment before following after him. He tapped a brick at the back of the alley with his wand and the wall began to move, much like it did at Diagon Alley, finally revealing the name _Mala Su Mabey_ in glowing neon pink. Astoria followed him, looking about curiously; she had not known there was a wizarding establishment in this neighborhood. The venue looked more like a speakeasy than a modern Muggle night club. House-elves waited upon the couples who occupied small, round tables around a dancefloor. There were several private booths tucked along the back wall; Draco lead her to a booth in the far right corner. She noticed briefly that they had a clear view of the entrance and the service door.

 

Astoria slid onto the bench seat and crossed her ankles, examining the magical space. She was glad for the dim lighting and the opportunity to sit and catch her breath. A witch in a scarlet gown adorned with a copious amount of feathers stood on a small stage, backlit with purple light. She crooned a slow, sad song and Astoria recognized her voice from the WWN as Madame Bletchley. She swayed slightly in her seat, listening to the dark-skinned witch's melodic voice as she sang of a long lost lover.

 

Draco ordered champagne as well as a shot of fire whiskey for himself. Shortly after their drinks arrived, Draco rose and extended his hand to Astoria. "Would you like to dance?" he asked. He had taken the shot of fire whiskey seconds before - for liquid courage, perhaps? - Astoria thought she might like some herself in this moment.

 

She nodded and took his hand, allowing him to pull her onto the dance floor where several other couples had taken to dancing, bodies pressed against their parent's in a sensual manner. Astoria thought that Draco might try to pull her close as well, but he was oddly formal, his hand rested on a decent place on her upper back, her hand cradled lightly in his. She placed her free hand on his shoulder as he slowly lead her in the Wizard Waltz, thankful that he had chosen the one dance Tracey Davis had taught to her and Jayne Edgecomb in their second year of Hogwarts. That had been the year of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the Yule Ball - Astoria recalled that Draco had taken Pansy Parkinson to that dance. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she wondered how close the two of them had gotten during their time at Hogwarts.

 

Draco paused in his movement, having noticed her change in expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, brow furrowed in concern.

 

She quickly fixed her face into a more pleasant look and shook her head. "Nothing, really." When his expression remained unchanged, she quickly offered, "I'm sorry - I'm afraid I'm not much of a dancer."

 

His face relaxed slightly and he smirked. "Neither am I. Never had much practice."

 

Astoria couldn't help the scoff that escaped her lips. She tried to recover quickly, not meaning to offend him. His movements were fluid, smooth - sexy even. She thought that he had practiced this type of thing many times. "I just remember the older students went to the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament."

 

"Ah," Draco affirmed quietly, glancing down at his shoes. "Yes, I do recall Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall teaching us to waltz and foxtrot my fourth year."

 

Astoria laughed out loud at the image. She couldn't imagine the late Professor Snape dancing with anyone, let alone Professor - now Headmistress - McGonagall.

 

Draco grinned down at her and Astoria suddenly realized that they had stopped dancing and were standing in the middle of the floor, Draco's arms around her, just staring at each other. She felt her cheeks flush and she dropped her eyes.

 

Draco cleared his throat before he applied a gentle pressure to her back, directing her where to go. Over the next few songs, the music picked up tempo and pretty soon Astoria found herself being twirled and dipped in a fabulous fashion which left her flushed and short of breath.

 

Eventually, she had to tell Draco that she needed to rest, as her shortness of breath was becoming painful. Astoria tried to hide it as best she could, but Draco kept giving her worried glances. After she had controlled her breath enough to speak calmly, she profusely apologized to the young man sitting across from her, but he waved it off with a simple shrug. Instead, they spent the rest of the night sitting and talking in the small booth, Draco taking lazy drags from a Muggle cigarette while Astoria slowly sipped the campaign in the thin crystal glass. As before, neither of them spoke of topics which were too dark or deep.

 

Draco told her stories from Hogwarts that made her laugh. Astoria told him of how ornery her Grandmamma Greengrass had been which made him smile. At the end of the night, Draco escorted her home. As she closed the heavy oak door behind her, she found that she couldn't stop smiling.

 

++ End of Year 2 ++

 

The sight of Cedric Diggory's dead body would haunt her the rest of her life. Astoria had been sitting in the stands with the other students, waiting for the Triwizard Champion to emerge from the maze. There had been a fair amount of excitement tonight - both Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum had had to be rescued from the maze. That only left the two Hogwarts School Champions left. Two red-headed, ginger twins from Gryffindor (Weasleys, weren't they?) had been brokering beats with a fellow classmate; a small group of students were gathered around them, placing beats with whatever amount of coin they had. Nicola had been heartbroken that the Durmstrang boy had failed, but Gemma, Jayne and Astoria had whooped and hollered, cheering for Diggory as loudly as any other Hufflepuff. 

 

Suddenly there was a crack of light and two boys suddenly appeared upon the ground at the entrance of the maze. The Hogwarts band struck up a tune and began to proudly blast out the school anthem as the students cheered. Astoria stood on her tiptoes, trying to see who had won - surely it was Cedric. A terrified shriek sounded from the ground and slowly the cheering dissipated into confused mutters. What was going on? Harry Potter seemed to be laying on top of Cedric Diggory, but it was hard to be sure from up in the stands. Were they fighting? With the crowd quieted, she could faintly hear Potter's voice as he continued to clutched at the older boy. Several of the Hogwarts teachers rushed toward the boys and Dumbledore slowly pulled the Potter boy away from Diggory. Expect Cedric did not move. Something was _very_ wrong, Astoria realized. She found Jayne's hand and gripped it tightly, both girls exchanging worried looks.

 

There was an angry murmur from the crowd as a portly man in a dingy suit pushed forward, running across the green until he fell at Diggory's side. Wails of anguish chilled Astoria to the bone as she watched a father embrace the lifeless body of his son.

 

Professor Sprout appeared and began to instruct the students to head back to their dormitories. That night, Astoria shared her bed with Jayne, neither of them able to sleep. A student had _died_ at Hogwarts. That kind of thing hadn't happened in many, many years. Astoria felt Jayne's hand tighten and she squeezed back. Things wouldn't be - couldn't be - the same. Things would change at Hogwarts. She just didn't realize how much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strange mix of happy and sadness in this fic. It will get a bit darker, a bit more mature as we move forward.


	5. Maladies et Blessures Magiques

++ First Half of Year 3 ++

 

Dumbledore's end of year address to the students after the Triwizard Tournament had set many students on edge. Had _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_ really returned? Daphne had been bold enough to ask their parents when they returned to London. The response given was completely unsatisfactory.

 

Their father had been evasive and then completely denied the Dark Lord's return. Hestia finally shooed their daughters out of their studio and told them not to listen to silly lies spread about school.

 

But Arcturus had many business meetings late at night and Hestia spent much of the summer in Europe, both of which the girls thought was suspicious, but dared not comment.

 

Daphne was quite irritable the entire summer. Astoria found that she preferred to sit with her grandmother while she gambled and played cards with her old friends than listen to Daphne complain one more time about how Tracey lived far away and it was completely unfair that she wasn't allowed to go visit her on her own. Grandmamma Vivienne had mutter about damn teenaged moods and warned Astoria not to pick one up.

 

That summer, Astoria had learned how to play the wizard card game, Prickly Porcupine, had her first sip of fire-whiskey, which had made her eyes water and her throat burns, and heard just about every curse word uttered from her grandmother's lips when she lost a round of cards.

 

When the time came for the next school year to start, Grandmamma Vivienne escorted Daphne and Astoria to Platform 9 3/4. She kissed both of her granddaughters goodbye and pressed some coins into their hands for the trolley.

 

Daphne sought out Tracey Davis in the Slytherin car and immediately disappeared. Astoria frowned, as she normally sat with Daphne and Tracey on the Hogwarts Express, but was finally able to find two of her roommates - Naomi and Gillian.

 

Naomi had had a summer romance while in the Greek Isles and was more than eager to share her experiences with the other girls. Her stories took up the majority of the train ride.

 

Astoria finally found Jayne on the platform after disembarking from the train and together, the four roommates rode the horseless carriages to the castle. Astoria had decided that thirteen was too old to wear hair bows anymore and had instead opted to secure her dark brown hair back with a simple black headband. 

 

There was a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that interrupted the Headmaster's start of term address. Jayne and Astoria were shocked - no one had ever interrupted Headmaster Dumbledore before. The woman was a short and plump and dressed in a shocking amount of pink, even for a 13 year old girl.

  
Naomi snickered as the new professor tittered and ahhmed about this and that. To be honest, Astoria was still so horrified that she had interrupted the Headmaster that she wasn't paying much attention.

Professor Snape was a bit more terse than normal as he lead the Slytherin students to their Common Room. He gave the same speech to the first-year that he had given Astoria and her classmates two years ago. The password this year was _Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus_.

The elective courses Astoria selected for her third-year were Arithmancy and the Study of Ancient Runes. She had heard horror stories about the types of creatures that Professor Hagrid had students study, which is why she had passed on Care of Magical Creature - although it appeared that another professor had taken over the post for the impossibly large teacher. Likewise, she had passed on Divination due to accounts of Professor Trewlaney being reportedly insane. Muggle Studies had obviously been out of the question; although the Parisian Muggles had been of some interest to her, Astoria really saw no value in the study - plus, if she had any Muggle-related questions, she could always ask Gemma.

 

As the beginning of term faded into autumn, she found that she was not feeling so well, but her new course load had been a bit more demanding than she had initially anticipated, so she simply attributed it to that. Gemma and Jayne watched her with growing concern while Nicola insisted that she was bring foolish and should report straight to Madame Pompfrey.

But going to the hospital wing would mean that Daphne would find out she was feeling ill and Astoria did not want to have her sister hovering over her like a mother hen for the rest of the term.

Astoria continued to ignore the weakness she felt creeping through her body and tried to concentrate on her studies. Her core classes kept her quite busy - she continued to enjoy Charms and Transfiguration the most. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher always dressed in a shocking amount of pink and had given the third-years first-year books that seemed to be more ancient than the Headmaster himself. Several students had complained about the change in textbook - after all, the lessons in this book were far less advanced than what Professor Lupin or Professor Moody had taught them in previous years. However, Professor Umbridge was quite insistent that the materials they had been taught were not in line with the Ministry of Magic's standard of education and she was simply setting the students straight. The homework for Defense Against the Dark Arts was not as extensive as other classes due to the simplicity of the course material, so Astoria didn't mind much.

It happened on a particularly chilly late  autumn afternoon. She was walking with Jayne to their next class when the hallway suddenly swam before her eyes. Something warm ran down her lip from her nose and when Astoria wiped at it, her fingers came away red with blood. She glanced at Jayne, confusion and fear gripped her before the darkness began to  close in around her.

She was faintly aware of being lifted and carried. She felt as if she didn't have the strength of speak, let alone open her eyes. Astoria could hear her sister's voice echoing dully in her ears and she thought she caught a glimpse of pale blonde hair before the darkness took her completely.

Over the next few days, she slipped in and out of consciousness. She knew she had been taken to the hospital wing because she recognized Madame Pompfrey and could smell the medicinal herbs and potions that lined the school Healer's office.

When she finally woke up, she was in a room that she did not recognize. A bell softly chimed. Her grandmother sat in an armchair next to her, sleeping as a pair of knitting needles moved on their own accord.

An old Healer with a long white beard entered the room shortly after she had woken.

"Astoria Greengrasa, my name is Oliver Liabux. I am the Senior Healer in charge of your case."

Astoria frowned, confused. "Wh-where..." she croaked, her throat parched.

Healer Liabux magicked a glass of water and waited until Astoria had drunk the entire glass.

"Where am I?" She was finally able to ask. "Where is Madame Pompfrey?"

"You are at Saint Mungo's," Healer Liabux informed Astoria. "You collapsed at school and your school Healer had you sent here. We think you may be suffering from some kind of familial curse. Your grandmother had informed us that one of your ancestors was cursed several centuries ago. We are running some tests to see if this curse has been passed down to you..."

The Healer kept speaking, but a dull roar filled Astoria ears. She was sick... she was cursed?

She leaned over the edge of the bed and vomited.

 

Being in Saint Mungo's was miserable. She wasn't allowed to go home, not even for Christmas. Healers came and went, poking and prodding her with their wands, having her drink various potions, many of which made her violently ill. Astoria's teachers sent her the homework and course work that she was able to complete from the hospital, but there was a chance that she would fall behind in her studies if she was forced to stay through the following term.

 

Once Hogwarts released students for the winter holidays, Daphne came to see Astoria. Her sister visited her almost every day over the Christmas Holiday, for which Astoria was extremely grateful for. She had missed her sister terribly and although she loved her Grandmother, the elderly witch's company wasn't the same as her sister's.   

 

One late December afternoon, while Astoria was waiting for Daphne to arrive for her daily visit, she saw an elderly witch stop outsider her room to speak to an orderly. She was dressed in teal robes and upon her wispy, gray head was an obscenely large magenta hat with a bird perched atop it. Behind her trailed a teenaged boy, dressed in a frumpy Christmas sweater. His shoulder hunched slightly and his eyes stayed on his brown leather shoes. Astoria studied the boy while he lingered outside her doorway. He seemed familiar some how, so she concluded that he must be a student at Hogwarts. Obviously older than she was, perhaps in Daphne's year? The elderly woman was speaking animatedly to the staff member when the boy glanced up.

 

Astoria recognized her sister's voice outside the door. "Longbottom," she greeted curtly.

 

The boy mumbled a reply in return, his eyes dropping back to the floor.

 

Daphne stepped into the door and shut the door, blocking off the rest of the ward. She kissed Astoria's forehead and hugged her tightly before offering her a bright smile. "I've brought you something," she whispered, a mischievous smile on her lips. Daphne presented a small silver package tied up in a green ribbon. Astoria untied the ribbon excitedly and exclaimed in joy as a rainbow of macaroons was laid before her like treasures within the white box. The Greengrass sisters spent the rest of the afternoon drinking tea and feasting on macaroons.

 

Eventually, the Healers at Saint Mungo were able to confirm that a blood curse had resurrected itself in Astoria. Her parents were called into the hospital to discuss the diagnosis, which was bleak. The Healers did not believe that Astoria would live much into adulthood. Healer Liabux informed Astoria that even if she did live into her twenties, that she would likely never have children and if by some chance she did conceive, the strain of carrying a child would likely kill her. It was at that point that her grandmother stood up and screamed a lip-locking jinx at the Healer. Hestia gasped as her mother-in-law uttered a string of obscenities until the Saint Mungo's Ward Security had to escort Astoria's grandmother from the room.

 

Healer Grace Chang was reassigned to Astoria's case and explained to her a plan the Healers had developed which they believed would give Astoria the best chance for a long and healthy life. The young healer spoke gently and soothingly to Astoria, which she greatly appreciated after all of the shocking news. There were several simple brews which Madame Pompfrey or Grandmama Vivienne would be able to make for her to alleviate headaches or pains and help with any shortness of breath. Healer Chang warned Astoria that the blood curse would leave her feeling weak and fatigued if she tried to engage in any activities which were too strenuous. She recommended that Astoria take it easy at Hogwarts and get lots of rest when she could. Daphne had listened closely to everything that Healer Chang had explained and promised to keep a close eye on her sister when the term resumed. 

 

Astoria was overjoyed to return to school after the holidays, but was still fairly weak. Her roommates and friends all agreed to watch over her when Daphne couldn't, which both vexed and filled her heart with appreciation. Gemma or Jayne followed her wherever she went. While catching up on her studies for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, Astoria complained about it to Nicola. The Ravenclaw girl looked sharply at her over her glasses and shook her head. "We just care about you, Astoria. If you wouldn't look out for yourself, someone has to."

 

Astoria blinked at Nicola, slightly stunned. She hadn't meant to make her friends worry - in fact, she had wished quite the opposite. But because she had ignored all of the warning signs, she had placed herself in danger, even if she didn't realize exactly how much. She frowned down at her Arithmancy book. Had she been that foolish, that prideful? She supposed she had. But she had been raised not to show any external weakness in herself, least she bring shame to herself or the Greengrass family name. Something like stubbornness was trying to bubble up within her chest, but she pushed it away. Her friends, her good, true, honest friends were just looking out for her. And she could not be angry for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some chapters are just harder to write than others! I struggled a bit with this chapter and ultimately decided to split it into two different chapters so that I could spend some more time fleshing things out in the next. I believe that a lot of Astoria's views were shaped by her time at Hogwarts, so I'm trying to do that justice - thank you for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy!


	6. Décrets éducatifs

++ Second Half of Year 3 ++

 

Out of all her classes, Defense Against the Dark Arts was the easiest to get caught up on. Professor Umbridge's lesson plans had been surprisingly simplistic, containing only the most basic reading and essay homework. Astoria had finished all of her missed assignments for DADA within a month, whereas she wasn't sure how she would complete her Astronomy or History of Magic assignments before the end of the term, let alone Potions or Charms.

 

Despite Astoria's need to finish all of her missed coursework, her friends convinced her to accompany them to Hogsmeade for the weekend in February. She had missed the other Hogsmeade outings in the autumn and Gemma insisted that she couldn't possibly miss out again.

 

Daphne insisted that Astoria bundle up in an absurd amount of jumpers and scarves. Astoria thought she might get heat-stroke before she even left Hogwarts for the small wizard village, but once she was outside in the icy winds, she was glad for her sister's insistence. The first place that Gemma demanded they go was to Honeydukes, where the Hufflepuff girl raced around the small sweets shop, filling her arms with every candy imaginable.

 

"She doesn't have these back home in Norwich," Nicola commented. "I swear, she makes herself sick every time she comes here."

 

Gemma stopped in front of Astoria and Nicola, eyes shining bright. "Try the crystallized pineapple, it's divine!"

 

It _was_ divine.

 

Hogsmeade was a spectacular place, icicles shining bright in the chilly winter afternoon. Students bustled about from one shop to the next, groups of friends enjoying time away from school grounds and rules. Gemma was usually overly excited when it came to magical things, due to her being raised in the Muggle world. Gemma's joy was contagious and it was hard not to smile as the Hufflepuff girl expressed delight over the pink heart-shaped bubbles floating around outside of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

 

Astoria couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard for so long. It felt good to laugh, to smile, to joke with her friends. At The Three Broomsticks, Gemma had her first butterbeer and at Tomes and Scrolls, Nicola found a fifteenth century grimoire to add to her collection.

 

In the end, Astoria was glad she had gone into Hogsmeade with her friends that weekend. Astoria would always remember it. Gemma, bundled in her thick woolen jumper, with stuffed pockets full with sweets, slurring the words to a Muggle song because she had drank one too many butterbeers. Nicola, her newly acquired books tucked carefully under her arm, reading articles aloud from the joke magazine _The Quibbler_ , which was always a good laugh. Jayne was still blushing pink from the Ravenclaw boy, who had slipped a note into her hand and whispered intimately into her ear at the Three Broomsticks.

 

That night, Astoria and Jayne sat around their little potbellied stove with their roommates Naomi and Gillian, warming their toes by the fire and passing around a bag of treacle fudge.

 

One never knows when the last time something will happen.

 

A last smile.

 

A last laugh.

 

A last moment in the sun...

 

...before the night comes and darkness begins to settle in.

 

She didn't notice it at first, how things were changing at the wizarding school. She had been far too busy catching up with her studies. She knew from Nicola and Jayne that Professor Umbridge had been performing evaluations against the other Hogwarts Professors. Rumors began to spread that both Professor Trelawney and Professor Hagrid were to be sacked due to lack of qualifications and credentials. The wall outside of the Great Hall became covered with even more _Educational Decrees_ that Professor Umbridge implemented within Hogwarts.

 

Astoria had thought many of these Educational Decrees were boring or silly, like the _Decree_ which prohibited students from reading the joke-magazine _The Quibbler_. However, Astoria found that some of the new _Decrees_ being implemented seemed to target certain students more than others. All owls were now routinely searched and items or letters deemed to contain contraband or inappropriate subjects were confiscated. Many of the Muggle-born students had letters or packages from home confiscated or destroyed. Gemma had sobbed when Professor Umbridge had taken away one of her Muggle books, citing a violation of _Educational Decree Number Forty-Six_ , which banned all literature written by non-wizards or half-breeds.

 

The most shocking event came when Minister Fudge held a special assembly for the students and announced that Albus Dumbledore would no longer be serving as Headmaster at Hogwarts, but that Professor Umbridge would now replace him as Headmistress.

 

Many of the students, especially those in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, grumbled in displeasure. Two of the older students in Gryffindor went about causing as much trouble as possible as a mark of rebellion against the newly appointed headmistress. Gillian even got stuck in the swamp they had bewitched in one of the corridors which had made the passageway impassible.

 

A student-lead Inquisitorial Squad was assembled by the Headmistress in order to assist in stopping other students from disobeying school rules. Daphne's roommates, Pansy and Millicent, were part of the Squad, although Daphne and Tracey both declined to join.

 

During lunch one day, Gillian asked if Astoria was going to join the Squad for extra credit, since she was still a bit behind on a few lessons. Gemma abruptly rose from the Hufflepuff table in a fit of tears and angry glares at Gillian. Astoria pushed passed Gillian and chased after her friend, although she only was able to catch up to her because Gemma stopped under the pear tree in the courtyard.

 

Gemma kept her back to Astoria, sniffing quietly.

 

Astoria panted, her hands dropping to her knees. "G-Gemma," she gasped, trying to catch her breath, "What's wrong?"

 

"Nothing," she said, but her voice was flat instead of her usual bubbly speech.

 

Astoria frowned as Jayne and Nicola slowly approached. "Gemma -"

 

"Just go," Gemma snapped. "You obviously have classes to earn extra credit for."

 

"But-" Before Astoria could finish, Gemma turned on her heels and stormed off toward the Hufflepuff dormitories.

 

Jayne gently tugged at Astoria's elbow to keep her from following after Gemma. "Let her go," Jayne said gently.

 

"But I don't understand." Astoria felt exasperated. What had she done? Why was Gemma so upset?

 

"It's about the Inquisitorial Squad," Nicola explained, adjusting her glasses.

 

"But the Inquisitorial Squad is supposed to catch those students breaking school rules. Gemma hasn't done anything-"

 

"But she has," Nicola stated factually, "she violated _Educational Decree Number Forty-Six_ , even if it is a stupid rule." Her face fell, brow furrowed. "Some of the Ravenclaws are saying that the members of the Inquisitorial Squad - that the Slytherins - are abusing their power and harassing other students."

 

Astoria's head pounded. "What?" Surely that wasn't true. To be honest, it was starting to feel like the other Houses were taking sides against those students in Slytherin. Yes, the Inquisitorial Squad was made up completely of Slytherin students, but Slytherins weren't ... cruel. They always had a means to an end, a reason for their methods. They were, perhaps, prideful. Prideful of their heritage, of their family, of their blood, of the hard work, sweat and tears it took to achieve their goals. But... perhaps there were times when they allowed their end to matter more than what it took to get there.

 

That would haunt Astoria for the rest of the year. And create a lasting impact on how she saw the world.

 

Before the end of term, the claims of Headmaster Dumbledore and Harry Potter were proven true beyond a shadow of a doubt.

 

The Dark Lord _had,_   in fact, returned. 

 

And everything would be different. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really a part b to chapter 5, but I needed to flesh some things out before posting. I hope Astoria's struggle comes across with the realization that perhaps she is being a bit naïve but also that not all Slytherins are evil and cruel. As the lovely J.K. Rowling wrote, "“Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.”"


	7. Tempête Montante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Standard Disclaimer; please refer to chapter one. 
> 
> Conflict continues as the Dark Lord's power and influence grow through the wizarding world. The impact will stay with Astoria through her entire life.

Draco's brow furrowed as he stared at the boy. The child's head rested limply against his hand as he watched the field with disinterest. 

Draco's lips pressed into a thin line as his fingers absently found the ring on his middle finger, fidgeting with the heirloom. Astoria leaned into the man beside her. 

"What's wrong, Draco?" she whispered in his ear. 

Her husband's brow deepened. "He's not even interested in the match." 

Astoria gave him a small smile. "It's his first Quidditch game, darling. I'm sure it's just a bit overwhelming for him." 

The boy heard their lowered voices and turned, gazing back at them curiously. Scorpius, her miracle child. White-blond hair and gray-green eyes. So similar and yet wholly different from his father. 

Astoria smiled lovingly at the boy, whose returning bright grin warmed her heart. The boy's eyes flickered to his father and her heart sank as his face fell. 

Astoria slipped her hand into her pocket and retrieved a small object. She presented the small wrapped candy to her son. "Sweet?" she beckoned. 

The boy gave his father one last sideways glanced before nodding and unwrapping the chocolate. 

She caught Draco frown from the corner of her eye and stopped him before he could utter the words she knew he would speak. "The world is a harsh enough place as it is," she hissed under her breath. "I will not deprive my son of affection."

Draco's lips pursed into a thin line, reminding Astoria all too much of her father-in-law. But unlike the older Malfoy, Draco simply nodded and refrained from arguing. 

Scorpius happily at the sweet, licking the chocolate from his small, thin fingers as the game raced on before him. 

When the Quidditch game ended with the Holly-headed Harpies victorious, Scorpius' head was resting upon his mother's knees, snoring softly. Astoria carefully stood and bent to lift her son. Her back ached with strain as she attempted to settle Scorpius' on her hip. A soft hand touched her shoulder before lifting the boy out of her grasp. Draco carefully settled their son's head on his own slender shoulder, his strong arm holding the boy securely against his chest. Astoria tried to smile at her husband, but faltered, embarrassed as tears suddenly stung her eyes. 

Draco frown and reach toward her. "Astoria -"

She shook her head fiercely, determined not to cry in public over something so silly. She didn't have the strength to lift their own son anymore. She gathered her coat and marched forward, her teeth sunk into her bottom lip to give her something else to focus on. 

They did not exit the stadium with the rest of the witches and wizards. Astoria didn't want to subject Scorpius to the stares and the horrid, untrue, ugly whispers that were bound to be hissed behind their backs. Instead, they left through a private exit, a tunnel that led under the stadium and out into a quiet Muggle village. Nicola Sayre's elderly Aunt Imogen allowed them to use her chimney to connect to the Floo Network and then, they were back in London, brushing ash off their clothes as they step into their posh flat. Draco put Scorpius to bed before joining Astoria. 

Only when Draco's arms are wrapped around her did Astoria allow the tears to finally fall. 

++ 4TH YEAR ++

Things had changed since the previous year. The mass outbreak at Azkaban had led to a high-level of concern within the wizard community, but none so much as the return of You-Know-Who. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had attacked Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore in the main atrium of the Ministry of Magic. There was no longer any doubt of the Dark Lord's return. Several of his Death Eaters had been caught by Ministry Aurors in the Department of Mysteries, to include the father of Daphne's classmate, Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore was reinstated as Headmaster of Hogwarts and classes were scheduled to resume in the fall with added security measures of regular Auror patrols. 

Daphne and Astoria's summer was mostly spent abroad in Paris with their mother and grandmother. Their father, strangely, did not accompany them.

Daphne had earned six O.W.L.s while her best friend, Tracey Davis had earned seven. Hestia offered Daphne the opportunity to end her formal schooling in order to assist her with the upcoming fashion line she had been developing, but Daphne declined the offer, wanting to return to Hogwarts to pursue her N.E.W.T.s in Potions, Herbology, Charms, and Transfiguration. 

Astoria enjoyed spending the summer in Paris with her grandmother and sister. Grandmamma took the girls to Mariage Frères where they drank Lily of the Valley teas and ate macarons, madeleines, and canneles. It was a nice holiday, all things considered. The girls both knew the climate in England was much changed since the return of the Dark Lord and things at Hogwarts would be different once they returned in the fall. 

As they rode the Muggle's bullet train back over the Channel, Daphne slipped her arm around Astoria. 

"Tell me what's on your mind," she whispered. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Just thinking..." Astoria picked at a loose thread in the hem of her dress. "I'm worried about Gemma. Things... didn't end well between us last year."

Daphne nodded solemnly before pressing her lips to Astoria's temple in a comforting fashion. "I'm sure you'll make things right."

"But what if they can't be?"

Daphne chewed on her bottom lip, considering. "Well," she spoke slowly, weighing her words. "Sometimes ... things do change... sometimes for the better and sometimes not... sometimes you can't control what happens. All you can control is how you act to the changes around you. For better or for worse." She shrugged, unsure. "I'm sorry, Astoria," she said softly, brushing Astoria's dark hair from her face. "Things don't always turn out like we'd hope they would."

The sisters sat in silence the rest of the ride back to London, deep in their own thoughts of the changing world around them.

When their grandmother dropped them off at King's Cross on September 1st, Astoria was anxious to find her friends. She was able to quickly locate Jayne in the Slytherin compartments. Daphne and Tracey shared the compartment with them and together, they rode the Hogwarts Express to school. Astoria bought extra sweets from the trolley, in the hopes of giving them to Gemma once they arrived at Hogwarts. 

After the start of term feast, Headmaster Dumbledore announces that there would be changes within the staff. Professor Snape would be the Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Horace Slughorn taking his former post as Potions Master. Professor Slughorn would act as a secondary Head of Slytherin House to Professor Snape. 

As the 4th years took their seats in History of Magic, Astoria finally saw Gemma. She smiled and waved to her across the aisle. Gemma gave her a weak smile before returning her gaze to her open textbook.

Gemma walked with Astoria, Jayne and Nicola to their Charms class, but remained at the outskirts and did not join in on their conversation. 

Finally Astoria fell behind to walk in step with Gemma. "How was your summer holiday?" she asked tentatively. 

Gemma shrugged, hugging her books closer to her chest. "My grandfather passed away," she replied. 

Astoria stopped and placed a hand on Gemma's sleeve. "I am so sorry to hear that," she said, eyes searching her friend's face. 

Gemma nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you," she sniffled. 

Astoria dug her hand into the pocket of her robe and retrieved a blue and white striped box. "Peppermint toad?" she offered, extending the small package to Gemma. "I bought way too many sweets on the train."

A smiled tugged at Gemma's lips as she took the small chocolate amphibian and popped it into her mouth. 

Astoria's spirits soared and she relished the joy she felt in her soul. For a moment, all seemed well. 

Classes and lessons progressed as usual, although it was odd to have Professor Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts while Professor Slughorn now instructed Potions lessons. Professor Slughorn had a much more pleasant disposition with students than Professor Snape, especially if he thought them to be bright or particularly interesting. Nicola and Jayne excelled in potions while Astoria made improvements from her previous year's studies. 

With Professor Umbridge gone, Quidditch was allowed to resume and the Houses began to recruit new players for tryouts. Many of the students attended the team tryouts as spectators. Naomi insisted on going, dragging Jayne and Astoria along. 

Astoria huddled next to Jayne for warmth as they watched the Slytherin Quidditch team being to run drills. Several of the players were in Daphne's year and whooped and yelled as the quaffle and bludgers were released into the air. The Beaters began to practice hitting the bludgers as students attempted to dodge. Several younger students were knocked off their brooms and Urquahrt had to grab them before they hit the ground. Despite an exciting first practice, Urquahrt vowed this would be Slytherin's year to win the House Cup. 

Despite a good beginning to the term, the relationship began to become strained between Gemma, Astoria and Jayne. Nicola felt caught in the middle and told Astoria so one evening in the library as they were researching for a Transfiguration essay. As a Muggle-born, Gemma couldn't help but feel like others, especially those in Slytherin, treated her differently, she stated.

Astoria insisted that it simply wasn't true and Nicola shrugged. "But that's how she feels, so to her it is real." Nicola pushed her glasses up. "You don't have any Muggle relatives. You don't know what it's like, to know that You-Know-Who is back and be afraid for your family. And to think that kids you go to school with - that they or their families might be on You-Know-Who's side... that's even worse."

Nicola's quill scratched across her parchment as she continued with her essay. Astoria watched her, contemplating. "Do you have any Muggle family?"

Nicola glanced up at Astoria over her glasses. "I do - my grandmother is a Muggle. I've got a Squib uncle that is married to a Muggle woman and they're raising their kids without any knowledge of the wizarding world. They just think my brother and I are a bit strange."

Astoria frowned. She couldn't recall any of her immediate or extended family that were Muggles. Not even a Squib. "They don't know you're a witch?"

Nicola shook her head, her eyes remaining on her parchment. 

There was a long stretch of silence where neither girl uttered a word. Astoria could hear her heart thumping in her ears. She couldn't imagine a world without magic. 

"My family -" she stuttered and faltered. Nicola glanced up at her again, lips pursed together. "They aren't..." Even as Astoria attempted to defend her family, she realized that she had no idea where her father had been that summer, how her mother had met with many strange witches and wizards behind closed doors late at night in Paris. There had been hushed remarks, heavy glances which implied a certain ideology... but her parents had never been vocal about supporting the Dark Arts or any Dark Lord. They were proud of their bloodline and heritage, tracing the pureblood line back through France for hundreds of years. Astoria felt an uneasiness settle in her stomach. 

"I don't support what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named says about Muggles and Muggle-Borns," Astoria stated firmly. 

Nicola finally sighed and pushed her quill and parchment aside. She looked Astoria squarely in the face. "Do you really?"

Astoria felt her jaw drop. "What?"

Nicola rubbed at her eye, clearly tired. "Astoria, you come from a wizarding family - no, not just that, a pureblood family, one of the 'Sacred Twenty-eight'. And you're telling me that not one part of you thinks that Muggles are beneath you?"

"No! I mean..." Tears filled Astoria's eyes, threatening to spill over. 

Nicole rose from the library table and collected her parchment and books. "Maybe you can stop lying to Gemma as soon as you stop lying to yourself," she said curtly before turning on her heels and disappearing between the rows of ancient books. 

The image of her friend retreating from the library swam before her eyes. Astoria blinked, the heavy tears streaking down her face. She sniffed and rubbed the sleeve of her robe across her cheeks. Feeling defeated, she gathered up her books and quill and walked sullenly back to her common room. 

As she was made her way down in corridor just off the library, a teacher walked passed her. Astoria stopped and after collecting her courage, called out, "Professor -"

A thin woman with wiry blonde hair stopped and stared curiously at the small Slytherin girl before her. "How might I help you at this late hour?" she queried. 

Astoria swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking. "I-I was hoping that you could... that you might... be about to help me understand..."

Professor Burbage took a step toward Astoria and not quite meaning to, Astoria sound herself moving away from the teacher. The older woman frowned. "What is your name?" she asked, not unkindly. 

"Astoria," she muttered. 

Professor Burbage gazed at her, eyes resting on the silver and green thread on her robes. "I don't get many Slytherin students approaching me with questions," she stated, eyes still sharply trained to Astoria's House crest. She nodded to herself and then extended a hand toward Astoria. "Would you like a biscuit? I was just going making myself some tea."

"Okay," Astoria said softly before following the teacher into her office. She gazed around the small office space, fascinated at the unusual items that littered every corner of the room. Books were piled on every surface, but the pictures on the covered were stationary. Pictures on the walls were also eerily still and unmoving. 

Professor Burbage retrieved a small kettle from a fat little pot-bellied stove and poured herself a cup. "Sugar?" she asked Astoria.

"Yes please," Astoria murmured, fingers tracing a picture of a couple who, although smiling, did not wave up at her. 

"My grandparents on my mother's side were Muggles," the teacher explained, extending the china teacup to Astoria. 

Astoria sipped at the tea as she continued to stare at the old photograph. "Is that how you know, about all of the Muggle stuff?" 

"Well, yes, that was a great help," Professor Burbage chuckled. "But I also put in a good deal of studying and research." She drummed her fingers against the wooden top of her desk. "You know, Muggles aren't so different from you and I. They even possess knowledge that many in the Wizarding community have no interest in learning. They are the ones that invented the radio, you know," she pointed to the small, cherry-colored tabletop radio nestled in a cabinet. "Wizards have just taken to bewitching it into picking up radio waves."

Astoria frowned, brow wrinkled in confusion. What were radio waves? 

"Astoria - you said you had questions?" The Professor lean back against the edge of her desk, arms folded across her chest as she regarded Astoria expectantly. 

"Why... I-I don't... don't look down on Muggles... not really... they're just..." Astoria stumbled over her words, eyes brimming with tears again.

Professor Burbage frowned and chewed on her lip before speaking. "Many pure-bloods have difficulty finding common ground with Muggle-borns. Not many even make the effort to try. Do you have friends that are Muggle-borns?"

Astoria nodded, cradling her teacup between her thin fingers. "Yes, but ... this year hasn't been the same."

"And why do you think that is?"

"Because He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name is back."

"But how does that impact your friendship?"

"I- I'm not sure..."

"Hm. Do you happen to know what your parent's political views are?"

"Political? Hm, not really..."

"May I speak plainly with you, Astoria?"

Astoria nodded. 

"From my experience... pure-blood students tend to take after the way their parents view the world. Now that is not to say that pure-blood children don't have their own minds... but the lessons that parents instill on their children tend to carry over into adulthood. So, Astoria, I would recommend that you develop your own opinions. Do your research, talk to others. Come to your own conclusion. But can I ask something of you?" Astoria nodded. The Muggle Studies teacher smiled sadly at her. "Use your voice to bring people together. Don't let hate be your guiding force. I have seen too many pure-bloods stand by and not take a side and in doing so, that is exactly what they've done. Just... just think about what I've said and if you ever have any more questions, please know my door is always open to students seeking to understand and learn."

When Astoria finally made it back to her bed that night, her mind was racing. It took a long while before she was able to fall asleep. 

Astoria sought out Professor Burbage several more times during her fourth year, to include one time in late spring when Jayne and Nicola got into a horrible fight. It was so bad that Jayne and Nicola stopped speaking to each other. Astoria took to spending more time with Gemma, spending many hours studying for Herbology and Charms classes. Gemma taught Astoria how to play Muggle card games and Astoria tried to teach Gemma French. Astoria made it a point to ask after Gemma's Muggle relatives, which Gemma seemed to appreciate. Despite the tension between their small grounds of friends, Astoria finally felt a peace within herself that she had never experienced before. Unfortunately, that was not felt throughout the rest of the school. 

Tensions between the student Houses seemed to be at an all-time high coming toward the end of term. News from around the country did not help to calm the turmoil within the school. Hogwarts was on edge. Several of the boys in Astoria's year picked fights in the halls and some of the girls were particularly mean-spirited in their gossip. Professor Sprout even began assigning detentions to students acting out during lessons, which had never happened in previous years. 

Despite all this, the school year still persisted. Homework seemed unending and Astoria felt like she would never keep up with the amount of reading and essays assigned. She studied for Professor Slughorn's practical potions exam furiously with Jayne, Gillian and Naomi in the Slytherin common room or the library with Nicola reviewing Professor Binn's notes or in the courtyard under the pear tree with Gemma, enjoying sweets while they quizzed each other on the magical properties of European flora. 

The school year was normal as it had ever been at Hogwarts until it wasn't. One night, right before examinations were to begin, there was a ruckus in the Slytherin common room. Before Astoria had the opportunity to head down to see what the fuss was about, Daphne appeared in the stairwell, pushing her younger sister back to her room. She grabbed Jayne and stuck her finger in the younger girl's face. 

"You keep Astoria here, in your room, do you understand me, Jayne Edgecomb? Stay here and keep each other safe."

"Safe?! What is going on?" Astoria cried as Daphne disappeared. Jayne reluctantly shut their door before sitting beside Astoria on her bed. 

"What's happening?" Naomi asked, her voice trembling. 

"I thought I heard something about a werewolf on the school grounds," whispered Gillian, eyes wide with fear. 

The girls waited for over an hour before Daphne finally returned. She was pale-faced and her hands shook slightly as she wrapped her arms around Astoria. "The Headmaster is dead," she stated, her tone oddly flat. 

Headmaster Dumbledore's funeral was a large affair. Professor Slughorn made sure that all of the Slytherins were dressed in clean, crisp dress robes in order to pay their respects to the old Headmaster. Many members of the magical community attended the funeral, although the only one Astoria recognized was her first year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin. He seemed much older, disheveled and scarred than he had only a few short years ago. He sat near the front of the service, a girl with bright pink hair head upon his shoulder. 

Professor Snape was absent as was Daphne's classmate, Draco Malfoy. There were whispered, mutters and rumors about how the Malfoy boy had assisted the Death Eaters in gaining entrance into Hogwarts. There was also talk that it had been Professor Severus Snape himself who had cast the killing curse that ended Albus Dumbledore's life. Astoria didn't want to believe it; while Professor Snape had never been particularly warm toward her, he had been a fair teacher and Head of House to her. Draco's involvement in the incident seemed much cleared - several boys had claimed that Draco bore the Dark Mark on his left forearm, the symbol of a Death Eater. 

What a horrible, terrible year. Lord Voldemort had returned and his power was growing. Headmaster Dumbledore had been murdered within the very walls of Hogwarts. Astoria felt a chill run up her spine as she listened to the drone of the eulogy being given. How could things get any worse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience and sticking with me! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! I'll be exploring Astoria's 5th Year at Hogwarts extensively as well as her early relationship with Draco in the coming chapters.


End file.
